Through chatting with the woman, Lin Xiaohe learned that Satellite No. 3 was small, with a small permanent population. More than eighty percent of the people living there were federal soldiers stationed on the satellite, along with their families.
The woman rubbed her head and mumbled softly, “I really don’t get it. Why do they need to station troops on Satellite No. 3? It’s so close to Tigre Star that the Empire could never possibly attack here.”
Lin Xiaohe asked curiously, “Are there a lot of troops stationed there?”
“Quite a few. At least, I think the size of the garrison doesn’t match the size of Satellite No. 3 at all. There’s a rumor that something unspeakable is being held there.”
Lin Xiaohe’s heart skipped a beat. “What kind of thing?”
The woman burst out laughing. “You actually believe that? Oh, it’s just a legend. Since Satellite No. 3 is a key military location with lots of rules and strict requirements, and there are so many things you can’t do, people just made up some stories for fun. I’ve lived there for over ten years, and nothing has ever happened.”
Lin Xiaohe’s right eyelid started twitching uncontrollably. Given how her luck tended to go—practically rivaling Conan’s—she couldn’t help but wonder, Could there really be something fishy going on on Satellite No. 3?
In her arms, Xinbao was tickling the child’s palm with its little leaves, making the kid giggle nonstop.
The bright, happy laughter caught the attention of both women.
The woman’s expression grew softer, and she smiled warmly. “My name is Li Qing. I’m here to join my husband in the military, and I run a little comfort counseling center on Satellite No. 3. If you have time, you should come visit me.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lin Xiaohe, a student in the Agriculture Department. I’m coming here for school.”
Li Qing clearly enjoyed talking with people. She said enthusiastically, “Wow, then you’ve definitely chosen the right major and the right place. The stardust levels on Satellite No. 3 are very low, and a lot of the land is Grade B.”
The two chatted happily, exchanged contact information, and agreed to meet again another day.
When the spaceship landed at the port, Lin Chiyang and Lin Jingqiu were already there waiting.
“Little sister!”
“Big brother! Second sister!”
The three siblings hugged each other excitedly.
Lin Chiyang’s lips curved upward, his eyes shining. “Let’s go home together!”
Because Satellite No. 3 was small and had little mass, its gravity was also very weak.
If you didn’t wear gravity boots and went outside, even a little push could send you floating off into space.
Lin Chiyang, who knew the place like the back of his hand, led his two sisters to a capsule rail taxi. After setting the destination, he turned around to fill Lin Xiaohe in.
“Your 150 acres of land are right next to the academy’s 50 acres, both in the northern hemisphere. The housing here, public places, and everything else are all covered by transparent half-sphere domes. Each dome has a gravity device inside, and the domes are connected by transparent rails.”
“But because this is a key military location, you need facial verification to go anywhere. Our permissions only cover home, the city center, the hospital, and the port. Little sister, you can log into the local network and check your own permissions.”
Lin Xiaohe opened her personal smart device and found that, unlike her family, she had one additional permission: access to an outpost.
Not that it mattered much.
She was already tired of all the fighting and killing. All she wanted now was to tend to her 200 acres of land and a mere 10 billion star coins, living a simple, ordinary life.
The capsule rail taxi took nearly two hours before they finally arrived.
The moment Lin Xiaohe stepped out, she was so moved by the sight before her eyes that she nearly cried.
As far as she could see, there was nothing but flat, dark soil.
The familiar scent of earth filled her nose.
It reminded her of the hard days back on Blue Star, when she used to roll up her pants, bend her back, and transplant rice seedlings in the fields.
And then, after entering university, those days of going bald trying to complete her graduation project under her advisor’s guidance!
She never imagined that after traveling across the stars and surviving all kinds of life-and-death battles, she still couldn’t escape the fate of farming.
Lin Xiaohe stood in the middle of the field, hands on her hips, filled with deep emotion.
This, she thought, is what it looks like when the flashy glory fades away and a big shot finally retires, calm and at peace.
“Xiaohe, my little sweetheart!”
The big-shot retiree Lin Xiaohe was immediately pulled into Lin Grandma’s arms, who fussed over her with great concern.
Lin Dad, sitting in his wheelchair, looked much better than before—healthier and several years younger. He smoothly took Doudou and Xinbao from her and smiled warmly at Lin Xiaohe.
What traces of melancholy Lin Xiaohe had just shown completely vanished.
If she had a tail, it would probably be spinning like a fan right now. “Dad! Grandma! Grandpa! I’m super awesome! I single-handedly represented the Agriculture Department, won the school championship, and brought back a full 10 billion!”
“Wow! Ten billion?! Holy black hole, could that much money buy the entire Wasteland Star?”
“Xiaohe, you’re incredible! Are you sure we were born from the same parents? Why are you so amazing?” Lin Chiyang’s eyes sparkled like a pure, innocent baby’s.
Lin Xiaohe giggled, the corners of her mouth practically reaching the back of her ears. “And that’s not all. You know who gave me those 150 acres of land?”
“Who? Could it be Marshal Chu?” the Lin family played along.
Lin Xiaohe turned down the corners of her mouth in a slight pout. “He’s even poorer than I am. No, it was the Ministry of Security! The super amazing Ministry of Security.”
Even though Lin Xiaohe didn’t really know what the Ministry of Security did, that didn’t stop her from bragging about it.
Ever since getting her golden finger, Lin Xiaohe had felt fearless—like she could take on the sky, the earth, and even the air itself. The only thing that ever made her slightly insecure was money. Even when facing an octopus monster, she never felt a shred of nervousness.
But after going through the wormhole, that unseen but incredibly intimidating presence had been bothering her.
She wasn’t confident enough that she could defeat it.
So what do you do when you don’t have enough confidence?
“Xiaohe, your talent makes the stars themselves dim in comparison. Your abilities have even won over the Federation. You are the Federation’s light of hope, the guardian of humanity!” Lin Chiyang said from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Grandma nodded in agreement. “My little sweetheart has been special since she was in the womb. So many people say you’re their spiritual beacon, the guiding light that leads them forward through the dark!”
Lin Xiaohe grinned from ear to ear, showing off eight big white teeth.
Oh, my dear family, she thought, keep talking, please. Say more. Let those sweet, honey-coated compliments rain down on me even harder!
She would face any storm, any gunfire, without fear. Her confidence was about to go through the roof!
The Lin family talked until their lips were almost dry, racking their brains for new words of praise, but seeing how much Lin Xiaohe was enjoying it, they couldn’t bear to spoil her fun.
Finally, Lin Dad stepped up to be the one to rain on her parade.
He pointed at Doudou and asked, “What’s in Doudou’s little cage? Why is he holding it so tightly and not letting go?”
A flicker of guilt passed through Lin Xiaohe’s eyes, but she pretended to be calm. “Nothing. Just a little local specialty.”
“By the way, I’ve got a new little companion. Let me give a grand introduction to our adorable little pepper, Little Red!”
Lin Xiaohe clumsily changed the subject, and the Lin family, being good sports, gave her a round of enthusiastic applause.
Little Red wanted to give a few peppers to the Lin family as a welcome gift, but Lin Xiaohe stopped her.
Making someone who had never eaten a chili pepper before bite into one raw was just too cruel.
Then, Lin Xiaohe pulled out a small notebook.
The Lin family looked at it curiously. “What’s that?”
